CHAPTER 1

Background

I was born in Minneapolis Minnesota and spent the first 24
years of my life there. My childhood was normal except for a few
unusual experiences that will be described later.

Before I started Kindergarten, met a boy named Brian, who was
about three years older, and we became friends. Brian was a good
friend, but he had a bad habit of lying. Brian felt that lying
made him seem more knowledgeable and important than other kids, and
he loved to be in that position of power. At that young age, I was
naive and always asking questions, but I had no concept of
dishonesty. Hanging around Brian, it didn't take me long to find
out what a lie was. Before long, I didn't trust anything that
Brian said to me. Still, Brian was my only friend and there were
no other kids my age in the area. Instead of abandoning our
friendship, I took it as a challenge. I still valued his
friendship, but I had to learn to separate the fact from the
fiction. I was forced to use logic to tell when he was lying and
when he was telling the truth. Sometimes it worked, and sometimes
it didn't. But I got better at it by verifying some of the facts
with grownups I knew I could trust.

Before too long, my parents intervened and told me I couldn't
see Brian again because he was a "bad influence." They were right.
But Brian's friendship taught me some valuable lessons when I was
at an impressionable age. First, I learned that you can't believe
everything you hear or read. I gained a real appreciation for the
"truth" and I learned to question everything. Second, I learned
how to use reason, deduction and logic. My love of the truth
turned into a love for scientific knowledge, an insatiable
curiosity, and a thirst for knowledge and exploration.

When I entered grade school, I made my first important
discovery: The school library. Most of the kids would run to the
fiction section to grab the story books. I would run to the shelf
marked "SCIENCE" and I'd read text books. I would read any book as
long as it was scientific: dinosaurs, biology, lasers, botany,
archaeology, astronomy and anything else that crossed my curious
mind in a particular week. Even before I could read I would learn
by looking at the pictures.

My mom used to take me to the public library and let me wander
around while she picked out books. Of course, I'd go straight for
the science books there too. But in the public library, children's
books were mostly story books. So I would wander around the adult
section and look for science books. I remember one day when I
stumbled into the anatomy section of the adult books. I wonder
what my parents would have said if they found out I knew all about
sex and the reproductive system at the age of six! I remember
arguing with other six-year-olds about where babies came from.
They insisted on storks and cabbage-patches, and I just couldn't
talk any sense into them.

I got a reputation for being a "know it all" or a "brain." I
didn't care for that status at all, because people couldn't relate
to a "brain" and everyone resents a "know-it-all." I did my best
to fight against my reputation, and stuck to a small group of
friends.

In high school I became interested in the field of computers
and my curiosity led me to study computers in my spare time. I
took several computer short-courses offered by the University of
Minnesota. After I had taken every short-course the University had
to offer, I spent my free time reading computer manuals and writing
computer games. My face became well known in the University
computer labs. I often chuckled when people twice my age would ask
me for help on their programming class assignments.

After high school, I entered the University of Minnesota
majoring in the field of Computer Science. During that time I
started having Out-of-Body Experiences (OBEs), and it changed the
course of my life. Perhaps it can change your life too!

EXERCISE 1

Affirmations

This "exercise" section, which appears at the end of each
chapter, is designed to present exercises and pointers to readers
who are interested in learning to have out-of-body experiences.
The exercises will be simple in the early chapters and get more
complicated in later chapters.

This particular exercise is an affirmation. An affirmation is
like a New Year's resolution; something you say to yourself to
strengthen your ability to do something. It's not enough just to
say the affirmation, you should think about it first, then say it
slowly to yourself a few times. Each time you say an affirmation,
you should try to put emotion behind your words and actually
believe what you are saying.

Affirmations work for many reasons. First, it's a way to
clearly communicate with your subconscious, and we all know how
powerful the subconscious is from hypnosis studies.

Second, many people in metaphysics believe in a higher
consciousness, sometimes called your "Higher Self," or "Oversoul,"
which is even more powerful than your subconscious. Affirmations
also allow you to communicate your intentions to your Oversoul
which can help you reach your goals.

Third, many people in metaphysics believe that your beliefs
directly affect your experience. Affirmations make it easier to
change your belief-system, and make positive changes in your life.

The most effective affirmations are the kind you make for
yourself. They should be short, succinct and stated in a positive
way. For example, use "I want" messages instead of "I don't want"
messages. State the changes you want in your life and what you are
willing to do to make it real. For this exercise, you should do
affirmations based on your want to have OBEs. You can either
create your own affirmation or use the one given below:

I want to have out-of-body experiences. I want to leave my
body. I know that the Universe will respond to my needs and
wants quickly, efficiently and joyously. In return, I will
practice OBE exercises, cooperate with the Universe, follow my
impulses, act on my intuitions, share my knowledge, spread my
love and cooperate with my own Higher Self.